Skopje Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Skopje is a huge city with several district articles that contain information about specific sights, restaurants, and accommodation.

Skopje (Macedonian: Скопје, Albanian: Shkup, Turkish: Üsküp) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of North Macedonia. Skopje is a city of many cultures and many centuries. The various groups that have controlled the city through its history have each left visible reminders of their reign: multiple Dardanian and Roman-era archaeological sites dot the city; Byzantine and Serbian Empire churches and monasteries can be found around the outskirts; a great wealth of Ottoman heritage fills the Stara Čaršija; commieblocks and other Soviet-style structures recall the Yugoslav era; and the current ruling party is erecting countless historicist neoclassical-style buildings in Centar. All of this comes together to form quite an interesting city.

Skopje's location on the Vardar and its nearby tributaries amongst towering mountains makes it a place of scenic beauty as well. Mount Vodno's highest peak at 1,070 m (3,500 ft), capped by the Millennium Cross, stands visible throughout the city and is a major recreational destination. The Treska River cuts through the mountains of southwest Skopje, forming the stunning landscape at Matka Canyon.

Centar The centre of life in North Macedonia's capital. Centar is home to many cultural attractions and to the Parliament and Government of North Macedonia. It underwent many visible and controversial changes in the 2010s.

Stara Čaršija Skopje's old town, a well-preserved reminder of Macedonia's five-century Ottoman era. Home to a fortress, countless mosques, Turkish baths, caravansaries (inns), markets, a clock tower, and some churches.

Karpoš Karpoš is an urban neighborhood adjacent to central Skopje and containing significant places of interest like Vodno Mountain and the Skopje Zoo.

Outer Skopje Skopje covers a large area both within its city limits and in the wider Skopje region; this area contains many spread out places of interest

Matka Canyon Matka Canyon is one of the country's most popular attractions, home to medieval churches among the rocky cliffs of the canyon

In the Povardarie region, Skopje is the financial and political center of North Macedonia and by far its biggest city. The city population is around 800,000, however unofficially during working-days it can almost reach more than 1 million, which is more than half of the population of the country. The most diverse in the country, Skopje houses many ethnicities; besides the majority Macedonians, many Albanians, Turks, Roma, Serbs, Bosniaks and others call Skopje home.

26 July 1963 is one of the worst dates in the history of Skopje. An earthquake struck the city at 05:17. 75% of the buildings in the city disappeared in just a few seconds. After that, the big rebuilding project began, trying to make Skopje the model city of the socialist world. The plan was drawn by the Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, who also designed the new railway station. The plan was never fully carried out. Many reconstruction projects have started. Some towers of Kale Fortress and the old cathedral are being reconstructed, and the old theater is also under reconstruction. Skopje is an eclectic mix of Christian and Islamic culture, with both vying to make themselves visible. However, this cultural mix has also spawned a lively and varied society. You can see people playing chess in the morning in the numerous cafés and green spaces in the summer. In the evening, Skopje comes to life as the locals dine in the cafés before heading to the bars and live music clubs, most of which are open until 01:00 or later.

Apart from being the capital of North Macedonia, Skopje has always been a center of power long coveted by various empires, and occupied by a long list of them, evident by the several Byzantine churches and monasteries around the city, also by a few Roman sites, such as Scupi and Skopje's Aqueduct. The city founded by the Paeonians in the 3rd century BCE under the name ‘Skupi’ was prized for its strategic location, in a long valley between two hills, situated on the banks of the Vardar River, a vital trade route. Under the Romans, Skopje was made administrative center of the Dardanian Province. The city’s prestige grew when the Orthodox Church made it an episcopal seat during the early Byzantine Empire. The arrival of migrating Slavic tribes from the Carpathians in the 6th century CE changed the city’s name and the composition of its people were assimilated by the Slavic newcomers. Throughout the remaining Byzantine centuries, Skopje continued to be an important mercantile center, situated as it was at the crossroads of Balkan trade and communications routes. It was celebrated for its urban life and fortress, and renowned for having the most beautiful church in the region. In the 14th century, Skopje became the capital of the Empire of Serbia, which was one of the largest and strongest countries in Europe during that period. However, the group that left the greatest mark on Skopje were the Ottomans. At the very end of the 14th century, Skopje and all of Macedonia fell under the rule of the Ottoman Turks, who ruled Macedonia for over six hundred years and built a large number of mosques and other buildings. In the ensuing centuries, the look of the town changed with the construction of many mosques, Turkish baths, bridges, and other buildings attesting to the new Oriental influence. Today, the Ottoman legacy remains extremely visible in Skopje’s architecture and small Islamic minority. After North Macedonia was liberated from the Turks in the early 20th century, became a part of Kingdom of Serbia, then it became a republic of the Yugoslav Federation, with Skopje as the capital. At that time, the prosperous city boasted many ornate, Neoclassical buildings laid out harmoniously in a more or less Central European style. However, in 1963 a disastrous earthquake leveled much of the regal old city, and Skopje was reborn in the imaginative, futuristic style in vogue at the time. Today, Skopje is a modern city and North Macedonia’s major political, economical, educational, and cultural center.

• Visit Skopje tourist information

• 41.9564921.628721 Skopje International Airport (SKP  ^IATA) (SE 20 km). Destinations: Ljubljana, Vienna, Sofia (seasonal), Zagreb, Prague, Zurich, Dubai, Belgrade, Athens, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Istanbul, Venice Treviso, and London Luton, Bratislava, Budapest.  

Pristina (the Kosovo capital) may offer cheaper deals than flying directly into Skopje on some routes. There is public transport connecting it with the Pristina bus station for €3 and then you can take a €8 bus ride to Skopje on the top of the flight fare. International Airport of Pristina is 3 hours away by bus from Skopje.

Getting there and away:

• By bus – TAV Airport Express goes by Capitol Mall, the Bus Terminal and the Holiday Inn. Timetable see website—rule of thumb is that the buses depart about 15-30 min after a landing, just outside of the exit gates. It takes 25 min to the city and costs 199 denars one-way. Tickets need to be bought from the office next to the exit gate. Credit cards and Macedonian denars are accepted. If you exchange money first, exchange as little as possible—€4 is enough for a single ticket—as the rate at the exchange offices in the airport are terrible.

Upon returning to the airport, buy your ticket from the dedicated TAV airport bus office inside the bus station, and catch the bus from the stop signed "Airport Bus" on the street underneath the viaduct of the train station (Kuzman Josifovski Pitu Кузман Јосифовски Питу), in front of the Zegin Pharmacy (Аптека Apteka). Buses are scheduled to arrive about an hour prior to a flight, so you'll have plenty of time for exchanging back your left-over denars, check-in, passport control, security check, and boarding in Skopje's quiet airport.

• By taxi – Hailing a taxi would cost approximately €15-25 to centre, or arranging private hire beforehand for a lower price. According to a display board outside of the airport, the standard fare to Skopje is €25 (as of 2022). Standard taxi fares are established to other cities within North Macedonia as well.
• By car – 20 km southeast. The airport is accessed by the main highway Belgrade-Skopje-Thessaloniki which connects it directly with the city.

• 41.9911721.4463352 Skopje Railway Station (Скопска железничка станица) (near the National Central Bank). The transport center includes the train and the bus station together. To get to the city centre from the bus/train station, if you don't have a map, walk west along the main road which passes under the station (Mt Vodno with its cross is south, i.e. on your left). When you get to the river go left and follow the river until you arrive at the old bridge and central square. About 15 minutes walk. 

Check the Macedonian Rail website for train connection from and to Skopje, including Pristina, Kosovo (daily, 3 hr, €5). Though, the Kosovo train seems not to be running as of end of 2022. It is not possible to buy a train ticket with a credit card, but there is an exchange desk in the bus station in the same building.

The train Belgrade-Skopje-Thessaloniki has been cancelled indefinitely (Oct 2018). Check for instance Seat61 for up-to-date info.

• 41.990621.44583 Bus Station (Avtobuska stanica, Автобуска станица) (under the viaduct of the railway station, east of the central Macedonia Square), ☏ +389 2 2466011. It has a small store selling snacks and drinks, another with bureks on the offer, and a reliable exchange office (open 06:30-18:30). Tickets for all destinations and companies are bought from central ticket booths (signed БЛАГАЈНА), except for the Vardar Express buses to the airport (see above), and then shown to the attendant at the gate upon accessing the platforms (Перон Peron) outside; the destination of the bus on each platform is displayed on digital screens in Macedonian Cyrillic and its Roman transliteration. All the staff at the bus station seem to speak at least basic English. The codes from online tickets may not be accepted by bus drivers. Before boarding, go to the ticket counter to convert the code into a paper ticket. Outside, the taxis and their somewhat persistent touts will be waiting, but the central square is just 15-20 min walking away. Beware of people who approach you inside or around the bus station offering rides. These drivers may NOT be professional, not have good knowledge of desired destinations, not take the most efficient route, and not provide good value. (updated Dec 2023)
• Local Bus Station (The city bus station is also under the viaduct of the railway station, south-west of the bus station.). City buses, for example Millennium Cross or Matka canyon (#60), can be caught there easily. 

Buses to cities and towns in North Macedonia leave many times daily. There are also buses to other major European cities.

• Sofia (from the main bus station): at least four times a day with two companies. The ticket is about €25 (50 лв), they take 5½ hr and will include a time zone change from Sofia (GMT+2) to Skopje (GMT+1/CET). The latest info is also on the Sofia bus terminal website.
  • Kaleia Travel with two departures per day, 07:00 and 17:30 (both ways).
  • Matpu with two departures per day, at 09:30 and 16:00

• Pristina can be reached a few times per day (10:00, 11:45, 12:30, 15:00, 16:30, 18:10), 550 denars (steep increase in fall 2022).
• Tirana is at least twice per day, 09:00 and 21:00, 600 denars.
• Belgrade buses leave regularly too (Summer 2024: 07:45, 09:25, 13:10, 16:45, 21:30, 23:30), 2030 denars

Skopje has a vast, frequent and efficient bus network. A ride with the public (red in colour, run by the Skopje Public Transportation Agency (Јавното сообраќајно претпријатие Скопје)^{[dead link]}) and private buses (all the other colours) cost 35 denars if you pay with a Skopska card, or 40 denars if you pay by a mobile phone. There is also an option to ride in the buses with the application Skopska, where you can buy rides. The Skopska application (iOS, Android) has an English interface.

Note that it is only possible to buy the Skopska card during limited hours at the local bus station (not later than 18:00).

Also, there is a daily ticket which cost 120 denars for the city lines and 150 denars for all the lines.

Hotels will help with info, and the odd taxi fare can be saved!

As of April 2023, private buses are not running, but they are returning. All lines are operated by JSP.

Taking a taxi in Skopje should normally not cost more than 300 denars. An example journey is from City Centre to Biser (a shopping centre with many bars and cafes that is popular with young people) which should take about 5-10 mins and cost around 150 denars.

From the train station to the center of the city is 2 km and should cost 50 denars. Never let yourself be talked into going somewhere where you did not plan to go in the first place. Like many cities in Europe, if you seem unsure and foreign, the charge will probably be higher so appear confident about the price and if the taxi driver still insists on a ridiculous price, find another taxi—there are plenty.

Many taxis have and will use their meter, so there should be no discussion about the price.

Individual listings can be found in Skopje's district articles

The largest concentrations of sights in Skopje are found in Centar and the Stara Čaršija (Old Town). The former is the modern hub of the city and contains newer attractions, while the latter is home to many of the city's historical sights. Outer Skopje is home to larger sights that are more spread out.

The Skopje Fortress stands above central Skopje, on the right bank of the Vardar. Much of the exterior walls, including several towers, remain, while excavations continue on the interior. The Stara Čaršija sits below the fortress to the south. Countless Ottoman-era structures makeup the historic district. Minarets from mosques like the 15th-century Mustafa Pasha Mosque dominate the district's skyline. The oldest of these mosques dates from 1436. Of the remaining Turkish baths, two are in good condition and now serve as museums. The three caravansaries in the Old Bazaar feature lovely courtyards and are open to the public as cafes or museums. While Islamic buildings are prevalent in the Stara Čaršija, it is also home to central Skopje's most important church, St Saviour Church, known for its wood-carved iconostasis.

One of the main symbols of Skopje, the Stone Bridge connects the Old Town to Centar on the left bank of the Vardar. Centar is home to the main government offices of North Macedonia. It is also home to Macedonia Square, the city's central square. The face of the square has changed with new buildings constructed in older architectural styles, as well as the addition of massive monuments like that of Alexander the Great, the centerpiece. Another major piece of the changes to Centar is Porta Macedonia, a large triumphal arch. The city's best museums are found in Centar, such as the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, the Holocaust Museum, and the Mother Teresa Memorial House, dedicated to the Skopje native.

Some of Skopje's best sights are found outside the city centre. Matka Canyon is one of North Macedonia's gems, both culturally and naturally. It is home to numerous medieval churches and monasteries, often hidden in the scenic mountains. Mount Vodno is capped by the Millennium Cross, overlooking the city and reachable via a cable car. In addition, archaeological sites dot the area, like the 55-arch Skopje Aqueduct. The Skopje Zoo contains a few hundred animals.

• The Macedonian National Theatre in Centar, is the home of the State Ballet. The theatre holds theatre, opera, and ballet performances all year round.

• City Park is a large green area in Centar. A part of it is a museum, with several monuments within. It is a nice place to go for recreation, as there are pathways around the small lakes, the children’s amusement park, cafes, restaurants, etc. The city zoo and stadium are also within the park. In the summer, Skopje's nightlife concentrates on the nightclubs in this park.
• Stroll through the town. You can get a good first impression of the city's sights in one or two hours, covering bazaar, fort and post-earthquake buildings. Equipped with a guidebook and a city map you can easily do it on your own. 
• Football – The national soccer team play at Toše Proeski National Arena, which is also the home of FK Vardar and FK Rabotnički. Several other club teams play in the city, the most recent Macedonian Football league winner being FC Shkupi.

• Explore Matka Canyon: 50 minutes outside of central Skopje; it has a lake and a hydroelectric dam set in a beautiful gorge. Kayaking/canoeing on the lake is a popular activity, as are fishing, hunting, and swimming. Climbers may enjoy a variety of tours of varying difficulty there. Vrelo Cave has many stalactites and two lakes at the end of the cave. There are several monasteries in the Matka Canyon Area that you can hike to.
• Kadina Reka Hunting Site in Skopje/Outer Skopje 25 km from Skopje.
• Climb Vodno Mountain, in Karpoš. The largest mountain to the south of Skopje, 1066 m above sea level, it towers over Skopje. It is a popular hiking destination with marked paths leading through the woods, with a couple of rest areas. Climbing this mountain will give the best views of the city and the valley which Skopje is in.
  • Hike Vodno Mountain to Matka Canyon: If you start early, hiking even further west along the ridge of Vodno Mountain can be a full-day hike. The hike from Skopje to Matka via Vodno is about 18 km. There might not be a bus back to Skopje, but you could stay in the hotel at Matka, which has prices starting at €35 for a room.
• Explore Skopska Crna Gora in Outer Skopje: a fun and educational day trip from Skopje is visiting the villages, churches and monasteries on Skopska Crna Gora Mountain.
• Marko’s Monastery in Outer Skopje, is an active monastery. Most interesting is the unique scene The cry of Rahela (Mathew 2:18). On the southern façade the portraits of king Volkashin and king Marko are painted.
• Tumba archaeological site. Ceramic models of houses formed in the shape of the female body are among its valuable finds from the Early Stone Age. 
• Cerje archaeological site. Its unique finds include the figurine known as Adam from Govrlevo, one of the earliest prehistoric male figurines, from the Early Stone Age. 
• Gradishte. A fortified settlement from the Early Byzantine period. It is believed to be Taoresion, the native town of Emperor Justinian. 
• Marko's Castle. An Early Byzantine fortress, heavily fortified with 40 towers. It was the site of the medieval town of Crnce. 
• Remains of Skupi. The ancient city of Skupi is almost not worth the effort to reach. There is almost nothing left except for part of a street, a bath, and a basilica. After the city was ruined by the earthquake of 518, all the building material was used in the building of Justinijana Prima (one can see almost all of the seats of the Roman theatre incorporated in Kale Fortress). It is interesting that even though the earthquake was very strong and completely ruined Skupi there were almost no casualties. The inhabitants fled the city just two days before fearing from Avar attacks and settled in the small fortresses they had built on Vodno and in Matka. 

• Skopje Summer Festival. The epithets such as the most abundant, the most various, the longest and, according to many authorized marks, one of the most qualitative cultural manifestation of international character which is held in North Macedonia, characterize Skopje Summer. This manifestation has even received an acknowledgement of its reputation outside the Macedonian borders which is verified by the membership of the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA). (updated Mar 2019)
• Offest. June. This festival takes place at several locations in Skopje, such as the Universal Hall, Skopje Square, the Youth Cultural Center, and many attractive night clubs in the city. 
• Skopje Jazz Festival. October. For one week every October, Skopje hosts eminent jazz musicians from all over the world. The Skopje Jazz Festival is considered to be one of the best of its kind in Europe. 
• May Opera Evenings. The May Opera Evenings have been one of the most visited events in Skopje. Over the years, the stage of the Macedonian Ballet and Opera Theatre has hosted a number of ballet performances, operas, and many concerts. This event represents a true professional challenge for the artists and a wonderful musical experience for the audience. 
• Autumn Music. November. Organized to enrich the music life with its genres and themes in accordance to its conception and to provide another place for the performances of the native and foreign artist. There is the classical music as a base of this manifestation's programme, yet it always leaves space for the other types of music genres such as jazz, popular song, ethno music etc. 
• Vino Skop (Skopje Wine Festival). October. Wine tasting, vineyard visits, live musical entertainment from international artists in the heart of the city. 
• BuskerFest. May/June for 10 days. Street performers festival. Tours Macedonian cities, as well as Budva, Montenegro and Sibenik, Croatia. (updated Mar 2019)
• Pivolend. August/September. Gourmet weekend with beer. 
• Vasilica (New Year). 14th January. Celebrated in the home. 
• Herdelezi / Djurdjevden. 8th of May. Spring festival celebrated at home and in public. Usually crowned by a great open air concert. After Herdelezi the wedding season begins. Almost every day you can meet a wedding procession or a procession accompanying the gifts for the bride. 

• Ss. Cyril and Methodius University - The Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje was founded in 1949 consisting three faculties and today it represents a family of twenty-three faculties, ten institutes and other institutions. The present structure of the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University can be illustrated with the following figures: over 36,000 students from North Macedonia as well as over 700 foreign students are enrolled at all faculties; over 2,300 teaching and scientific staff and associates are engaged in the teaching, educational and scientific process at the faculties and over 300 at the institutes.
• University American College Skopje - an institution for higher education that combines American and European methods.

• In Stara Čaršija, the old town, the Old Bazaar is the largest in the Balkans. It is a structure of many streets lined with small shops. The Bit Pazar is the biggest food market in Skopje. A walk around can be fun, but you can also get cheap fresh fruits, vegetables, salads, cheese, teas, spices and flowers. Another good food market to visit is the Green Market (Zeleno Pazarce), near the Parliament Building and Bunjakovec Market near the Cathedral.
• Centar has several shopping centres. GTC in is the oldest in the city. It includes cafes, restaurants, bars, banks, shops, and a bowling court. Ramstore Mall and Super Vero are American-looking malls. City Gallery shopping centre has lots of high quality fashion stores.
• In Centar, Biser', is a shopping center with very nice cafes, bar, and shops. It can be found in the Aerodrom municipality of Skopje. 'Bunjakovec is in one of the busiest thoroughfares in Skopje. In includes many shops and boutiques.
• Skopje City Mall, in Karpoš, is a modern mall that is the biggest of its kind in the region. It houses around 150 shops, 9 cinemas, a 4,500-m² hypermarket, restaurants and bars with terraces, bowling center and the biggest kids corner in North Macedonia.
• East Gate Mall in Outer Skopje is the newest and biggest mall in Skopje.

North Macedonia’s capital offers something to satisfy all modern tastes and appetites. Make sure to try the famous Macedonian foods such as burek, Shopska Salata, and others.

Skopje’s eateries are plentiful and offer a diverse range of local and international flavors. International cuisine is well represented in Skopje with Chinese, Italian, Indian, Greek, Mexican, Middle Eastern and French restaurants all found within the city center. In addition, pizza and fast food places abound, as do small bakery cafes selling pastries such as the ubiquitous burek (a flaky filo pie stuffed with meat, cheese or spinach).

Skopje, just like the rest of Macedonia, is a relatively safe place. But, the usual rules about common sense apply here as they would anywhere. The places where crime occurs most often are in the places where tourists have little reason to be at. Night time in the old market may have roving bands of youth and areas just east of it. Exercise a higher level of caution in these areas or avoid this area at night.

Like many other parts of Eastern and Central Europe, there are people who will beg around the major tourist sites, they especially target tourist-looking people, and sometimes may engage in pickpocketing.

• Дневник (Dnevnik)^{[dead link]} – Was a daily newspaper in North Macedonia, published every day except Sunday. The first issue of Dnevnik was published on March 20, 1996.
• Нова Македонија (Nova Makedonija) – The oldest daily newspaper in North Macedonia. It was established with decision of the presidium of ASNOM and remained a state owned newspaper, promoting the government line. The first edition was in 1944, in Gorno Vranovci, and contitutes the first document written in the literary standard Macedonian language.
• Утрински Весник (Utrinski Vesnik) – The first issue of Utrinski vesnik was published on June 23, 1999. Its current editor is Erol Rizaov. It is published every day except Sunday.
• Шпиц (Spic) – Was a daily newspaper in North Macedonia.
• Вечер (Vecer)^{[dead link]}
• Skopje Diem – Provides daily news from North Macedonia in English, as well as many useful info for expats in the country. The Team used to be NATO Press Centre in Skopje, and provides daily info on Macedonian matters for almost all embassies, international organisations and foreign media.
• Skopje.IN – An electronic guide and news portal in English that publishes more general news about Skopje and North Macedonia.

• Tetovo — Just 1 hr away, Tetovo is the site of the unique and beautiful Painted Mosque, and offers an opportunity to brush up your rusty Albanian skills
• Ohrid – With its highly scenic hillside location overlooking the lake, no trip to North Macedonia is complete without a visit to Ohrid, the city of a thousand churches, or the "Balkan Jerusalem"
• Kokino – If you want more hill and less lake. A beautiful scenic drive past Kumanovo takes you to a stunning paleolithic solar observatory discovered in 2001 atop a small mountain.
• Kosovo – If you decided that what you need is yet another stamp on your passport, the "newest state of Europe" would be happy to arrange one for you, with its border just half an hour away from Skopje. While the national capital, Pristina, offers little beyond a convenient hub to travel around the country, the historic city of Prizren in southern Kosovo, nearer to the Macedonian border, is well worth a visit. While both cities can be managed as a quick day-trip from Skopje, Pristina is quite accessible by bus while Prizren is more complicated.

• Thessaloniki, Greece – Around 4½ hr by bus is the second-largest Greek city with a long history and a popular destination for Macedonians looking for beaches.